Life, London, and the Pursuit of Liberty

I am in London!!! Excitement and delight all around! I arrived Thursday morning, and have been running about like a mad fool for several days. I started a blog post Friday evening, but abandoned it in favor of sleep. Here's what I wrote then:

I have been tooling about on my own while my dear friend Hannah is in rehearsal (she's in THE WHITE GUARD at The National), and being silly with her when she isn't.



This afternoon, I discovered, quite by accident, Borough Market, which I guess I'd heard of, but never bothered to investigate. It is AMAZING. Apparently, it's open Thursdays through Saturdays, and I got ridiculously lucky. I like to wander when I travel, you see, and despite the number of times I've been there, I really don't know London as well as I know some other cities, because I simply walk and talk with Hannah, and don't pay a lot of attention to where I'm going. So I have been meandering, getting to know the city again, and lo and behold, what should appear in front of me but some glorious open-air market that appears to be serving fine foodstuffs? Sweet mercy, I had me a delicious meat pie (with venison and partridge, no less!), olives, cheese, fish & chips that melted in my MOUTH...I wanted one of everything. Anyway, I was one happy duckie. Then I wandered (intentionally) over to the Tate Modern.

Here is where I pick up today:
I found a number of incredible and moving pieces at the Tate, but one room that particularly struck me was the gallery that displayed the Soviet Communist Propaganda. The room is absolutely covered in posters, almost from floor to ceiling, giving the the feeling, upon walking in, of being barraged with the images. That's the idea, of course - to simulate the experience of being confronted at every turn with drawings of hard working laborers and glorified party leaders. As a city dweller myself, I know what it is to be constantly flooded with advertisements. To imagine what New York would be like if they were all political posters, as opposed to ads for films, television shows, The Gap, and Fresh Direct, is a little terrifying. Below, I've written out the text from some of the most fascinating (to me, anyway) posters:

* Everyone Sign Up for Shockwork! (1932)
* On the paths of total collectivisation and mechanisation of agriculture of the USSR (1933)
* Women Build Socialism (1926 - the image on this was of a tough looking lady in a kerchief, who reminded me a bit of Rosie the Riverter)
* USSR - Center of International Socialism (1933)
* We have finished off our Enemies with our Weapons - we will Get Bread through Hard Work. To Work, Comrades! (1920)
* Ukrainians and Russians have a Common Cry - We must not let the Landowners Rule Over the Workers (1920)
* Women Workers, Take Up Your Rifles! (1918)
* Young Proletariat of Town & Countryside Unite! (1920s - This poster had two youths, one dressed in farmer's clothes, standing against a city landscape, and one in the city togs (complete with those tall cylindrical hats) standing amidst crops and flowers. They were shaking hands, and each holding a pole that had a banner stretched between them with the poster's text on it. Making up the background were the rays of the sun, which was just peeking up about halfway above the horizon. In the center of the sun itself was a hammer and sickle.)
* Cleanse the Party of all class enemies and hostile elements, degenerates, opportunists, double dealers, careerists, self-seekers, bureaucrats, and morally decayed persons. (1933 - This one had no image, just the white text against a red background)
- And now, my favorite -
* Long Live our Happy Socialist Motherland - Long Live our Beloved Great Stalin! (1935 - Complete with a drawing of Stalin looking stoic and yet benevolent on a balcony while a parade of happy proletariat walk by in the street below, looking up at him adoringly)

The room reminded me of the Checkpoint Charlie Museum in Berlin, and of the propaganda vs the photos of reality there as well. The checkpoint Charlie Museum is by far one of the most absorbing places I've ever been. So many things got donated there starting in the late 60s, I want to say, and so you can see a lot of the genuine items people used to escape. Two suitcases laid end to end on a top rack on the train that have a hole cut in between them, which a person would curl up inside of. A car with a rigged engine that allows a human to hide underneath. A hot air balloon used to float to freedom. It's really a gorgeous example of the human spirit in the fact of oppression.

I've done a number of other interesting things and spent time with loads of lovely people, but don't have time to be sitting here writing about them! Must be off! There is tea to be imbibed!